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SECTION 10 PUBLIC CONSULTATION 25 January to 8 March 2019 abbeygatesfc.ac.uk @abbeygatesfc /abbeygatesfc /abbeygatesfc Contents Executive summary .................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 2 Findings ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 10 Appendix 1: Consultation Information Booklet ....................................................................... 11 Appendix 2: Questionnaire ...................................................................................................... 19 Appendix 3: Promoting the consultation ................................................................................. 21 Appendix 4: Summary of feedback from the public consultation held February 2018 .......... 23 1 Executive summary Abbeygate Sixth Form College (Abbeygate) is proposed by Suffolk Academies Trust (SAT), a successful partnership between West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds and One Sixth Form College in Ipswich. Abbeygate is in the pre-opening phase, with a proposed opening date of 5th September 2019. Suffolk Academies Trust ran a six week consultation as part of the statutory requirement to consult with members of the public, under Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010. The consultation ran from 25th January to 8th March 2019. Whilst responses to the Section 10 consultation were limited, responses confirmed the public’s agreement of the need and desire for a new sixth form college in West Suffolk. On this basis, Suffolk Academies Trust reiterates the request to enter into a funding agreement with the Secretary of State to open Abbeygate Sixth Form College in September 2019. Introduction The proposal for a new sixth form college was approved by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2015. Abbeygate will see the closure of a small number of school sixth forms in West Suffolk, in favour of one dedicated sixth form college. Abbeygate will specialise in A Level provision and will offer a broader range of subjects to students than is financially viable in smaller school based sixth forms. More information about the background to the project and the evidence of need for a new sixth form college can be found in the Consultation Information Booklet at Appendix 1. The purpose of the statutory Section 10 Public Consultation was to share information about Abbeygate with stakeholders and members of the public and to seek opinion as to whether or not SAT should enter into a funding agreement with the Secretary of State to open the new free school academy. This report summarises the scope, reach and findings of the consultation. Methodology The Section 10 Consultation was the third and final phase of formal consultations with stakeholders and members of the public: 1. Pre-planning consultation event 22nd February 2018 Members of the public were invited to come along to a drop in session to view the building plans and talk to/ask questions of key project personnel. The event was held at West Suffolk College and was led by key contacts from Wates (the selected 2 building contractor). The project manager for SAT and colleagues from the DfE were also in attendance. See Appendix 4 for a summary of feedback collected at the event. 2. Planning consultation April to September 2018 Notification of the submission of the formal planning application was publicised in the local press. All documentation relating to the planning application was (and still is) available for public viewing on the Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury Council planning portal. Members of the public were signposted to the portal to leave comments and/or objections as part of the consultation process. The outcome of the planning application process was positive and approval was granted on 6th December 2018. 3. Section 10 consultation 25th January to 8th March 2019 The Section 10 Consultation was launched once the planning approval had been granted and contingency plans for the use of temporary accommodation for the opening year were at an advanced stage. It took the form of an online survey (with printed copies available as an alternative), and a drop in event held from 17:00 to 20:00 on 27th February. The event was held at West Suffolk College, where Abbeygate will be accommodated in the first year of operation, and a five minute walk from Abbeygate’s permanent site. The event was advertised as a drop in session, for stakeholders and members of the public to come along at any time, to talk to the Principal and members of the project team. The consultation was advertised and promoted in a number of ways: 1. Adverts in local press: a. Bury Free Press (circulation c.18,483) b. East Anglian Daily Times (circulation c.29,923) 2. Abbeygate website 3. Abbeygate’s social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) 4. West Suffolk College’s social media accounts (sharing and retweeting our posts) 5. Founder school’s1 social media accounts (sharing and retweeting our posts) 6. Information was shared directly with our Stakeholders’ Forum, with a request 1 King Edward VI School, Newmarket Academy, Stour Valley Community School, Sybil Andrews Academy 3 Advertisements signposted people to Abbeygate’s website where they could: 1. Find further information about the purpose of the consultation 2. Download the Consultation Information Booklet (see Appendix 1) 3. Click a link for easy access to our online survey. A Microsoft Word version was also available for offline completion (see Appendix 2) 4. Click a link to complete an online booking to give an indication of their attendance at the drop in session. See Appendix 3 for a sample of newspaper advertisements and social media posts promoting the consultation and the consultation page on the Abbeygate website. Findings 1) Survey 39 people completed the survey. Q1. Which of the following best describes you? 4 Q2. Where do you live, approximately, in relation to the proposed site for Abbeygate Sixth Form College, off Beetons Way? Q3. Do you agree that opening Abbeygate Sixth Form College will provide extra choice for students and meet the need for additional A Level provision in West Suffolk? 5 Q4. Do you agree that the vision and curriculum plan of Abbeygate Sixth Form College meets the needs of the community? Q5. Do you agree that Suffolk Academies Trust should enter into a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State for Education in order to open Abbeygate Sixth Form College? 6 Q6. It is our intention for Abbeygate Sixth Form College to become an important part of the local community. Are there any services you would like Abbeygate to offer? Additional comments and our responses: After school clubs for younger upper school students to encourage interest in sixth form and further education. o Abbeygate will be a hub for local schools. We will work with schools to provide a range of opportunities for students to experience sixth form life. We will open our facilities to the local community affording local school children the opportunity to benefit from the use of the state of the art facilities in STEM, IT, Art, dance and drama. Integration with other schools - visits by students to Bury Schools Partnership primaries to share learning and inspire younger students. o We will work closely with schools on a range of educational projects including joint working in the areas of STEM, art, performing arts, music and sport. Student free parking. o Abbeygate’s travel plan encourages the use of public transport. Limited free parking is available for students who live in the most rural areas with no access to public transport. Bury has ample communal spaces and publicly funded facilities.... and enough unused/empty schools from structural changes. o Abbeygate is being developed specifically to meet the growing need for sustainable A Level provision. Abbeygate will play a full role within the local community, and the facilities will be opened up for others to make use of. High quality Adult Education. Specifically GCSE, A-Level and business vocational qualifications which can be accessed by working adults: i.e. night classes. o We are working closely with West Suffolk College to provide a one stop shop to meet a variety of educational needs. By working in partnership, and with input from the community, we will continue to develop the range of study programmes and evening classes available. 7 Evening classes perhaps, or community use linked to students e.g. yoga, mental health awareness. o As above. We will continue to work with our partners at West Suffolk College to ensure evening classes are provided for the community. Q7. Would you like to add any comments? Offer Design Technology (Parent/carer living more than 5 miles away) o Abbeygate will offer an extensive range of A Levels. The curriculum will be reviewed on an annual basis to meet local need and demand. Due to the extreme lack of 6th form places in our local area (Stowmarket/Hadleigh), the new college is almost essential to further education in the area. (Parent/carer living more than 5 miles away) o Abbeygate